15% of eighth graders and 30% of tenth graders were hooked on marijuana in 2008. Logical people would not permit anyone to consume cannabis, in viewing of the fact innumerable teenagers are addicted at an incredibly young age. One of the biggest arguments in the country at this moment is about legalizing marijuana, and whether or not it should be sanctioned in the medical field. The minorities of the ill hospital patients have a lack of appetite and nausea problems, so doctors have proposed using medical marijuana as a treatment. In the article, “U.S. Decrees that Marijuana Has No Accepted Medical Use” by John Hoeffel, a Los Angeles Times writer discusses the decisions of the government to ban medical marijuana. Citizens of America are still debating whether or not to legalize weed as a treatment for sick people, despite the fact that it has already been forbidden. People claim that it is for the wellness of the patients, but they always ignore the consequences that marijuana users must face. If the law already prohibits this drug to regulars, how can a doctor prescribe it to people with a poor health condition? Now that drugs are a human’s worst enemy, it should not be legalized for the medical treatment because patients tend to abuse their advantage, other types of medications can help with diseases without negative effects, and using cannabis can damage health with tons of chemicals.
Generally, with countless victims lured into the trap of addiction, people these days will do anything to have drugs in the palms of their hands. Drugs like marijuana seem to give people a peace of mind, and of course, anyone would massacre for that in this traumatic era. Because this plant is such a necessity to some people, it “lacks accepted ...
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...intends to beget what they want. Since pot is a drug that ruins limitless people’s lives, the government should not authorize medical marijuana because the individuals who receive the treatment might misuse their prescription, new medications can be used without harmful outcomes, and cannabis contains highly hazardous substances that can destruct health. Someone cannot just close the eyes to the fact that marijuana is still extremely unhygienic, whether or not a doctor prescribes it. Even if a sick person is consuming medicinal weed that is recommended by a therapeutic expert, he/she is doing the same thing as the people being put in penitentiary. It is not sagacious to tolerate use of marijuana, especially when others are forced into rehabilitation. Medical pot may seem like a brilliant concept, but it is really just the deception into the destruction of health.
The controversy of legalizing marijuana has been raging for quite a while in America. From some people pushing it for medical purposes to potheads just wanting to get high legally. Marijuana has been used for years as a popular drug for people who want to get a high. All this time it has been illegal and now it looks as if the drug may become legal. There has been heated debate by many sides giving there opinion in the issue. These people are not only left wing liberals either. Richard Brookhiser, a National Review Senior editor is openly supportive of medical marijuana yet extremely conservative in his writing for National Review (Brookhiser 27). He is for medical marijuana since he used it in his battle with testicular cancer. He says "I turned to [marijuana] when I got cancer because marijuana gives healthy people an appetite, and prevents people who are nauseated from throwing up. "(Brookhiser 27) Cancer patients are not the only benefactors from the appetite enhancer in marijuana, but so are any other nauseous people. Arizona and California have already passed a law allowing marijuana to be used as a medicinal drug. Fifty Six percent of the California voters voted for this law. "We've sent a message to Washington," says Dennis Peron. "They've had 25 years of this drug was, and they've only made things worse." (Simmons 111) The Arizona proposition garnished an even wider margin of separation between the fore's an against in a sixty five percent support tally. Ethan Nadelmann insists that " these propositions are not about legalization or decriminalization. They're about initiating some non radical, commonsense approaches to drug policy." General Barry McCaffery disagrees saying, "I...
The benefits of marijuana outweigh the harm and because medical marijuana meets the principle of double effects four conditions, it is morally acceptable to allow physicians to prescribe it. Morally acceptable actions should not be illegal and the government should reclassify marijuana as a Schedule II drug for it to be considered “legal”. Failing to permit physicians to prescribe marijuana as a treatment option is a violation of the ethical principle of nonmaleficence as they are unable to provide an effective treatment for their patients thus leading to the patients harm. The therapeutic advantages of prescribing medical marijuana outweigh the risks and can improve a patient’s quality of life by preventing and relieving suffering. The ultimate goal of a physician is employing a form of treatment that will produce the most benefit and elude the most harm to the patient. It is respect for a patient’s autonomy and the duty of a physician to provide care that leads to my conclusion that is it morally and ethically sound to legalize marijuana and permit its use for medical treatment and
...ays that patients can be treated without using marijuana so marijuana should not be legalized for medical use. Legalizing this drug for medical use will lead to increase in consumption throughout the country even when it is not needed for recreational use. This would worsen the country’s situation even more. We will be safer without the legalization of marijuana.
There is a major debate in today’s world about the legalization of cannabis, especially, in the United States. States such as California and Illinois have already moved forward in their open-minded thinking about the drug and are allowing people to use marijuana as an alternative to other prescribed drugs in treating the effects of certain ailments. The idea of legalizing marijuana is a touchy subject for many people; on the one hand its properties are beneficial to many people who suffer from many different illnesses, on the other hand, it is an illegal substance that has many addictive qualities. According to the Drug Enforcement Agency’s website, “Marijuana is a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act, meaning that it has a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in the treatment, in the...
Ever since marijuana’s introduction to the United States of America in 1611, controversy of the use and legalization of the claimed-to-be Schedule I drug spread around the nation. While few selective states currently allow marijuana’s production and distribution, the remaining states still skepticize the harmlessness and usefulness of this particular drug; therefore, it remains illegal in the majority of the nation. The government officials and citizens of the opposing states believe the drug creates a threat to citizens due to its “overly-harmful” effects mentally and physically and offers no alternate purposes but creating troublesome addicts hazardous to society; however, they are rather misinformed about marijuana’s abilities. While marijuana has a small amount of negligible effects to its users, the herbal drug more importantly has remarkable health benefits, and legalizing one of the oldest and most commonly known drugs would redirect America’s future with the advantages outweighing the disadvantages.
The legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes has become an increasingly controversial topic, with many different issues on which people have many different opinions. There is opposition to the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes because it has the potential to be used incorrectly, however it is also considered that there is the potential for marijuana to be used in relieving the suffering of many seriously ill patients. Marijuana has been used by people for thousands of years to provide relief from many different serious medical problems. There are many doctors who currently support the effectiveness of using marijuana as treatment for various medical conditions. The many people who are suffering from cancer, multiple sclerosis, and AIDS have found that marijuana can be a very effective pain and symptom reliever. The legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes is viewed by its opposers as one of the worst things that we could do. Their reasons are that they feel that marijuana should not be legalized for medical use because it is an illegal substance and until that is changed, prescribing it is against the law. "Attorney General Janet Reno announced that physicians in any state who prescribe the drug could lose the privilege of writing prescriptions, be excluded from medicare and Medicaid reimbursements, and even be prosecuted for a federal crime" (Kassier 1). Government officials such as Janet Reno are not the only ones to object to the legalization of marijuana. Many parents groups like Mothers Against Drunk Drivers object to the legalization of marijuana for medical uses.
When Dr. Lucido was asked if marijuana should be legal he replied, “if marijuana was legalized there would be more people using it for the wrong reasons, but he thought that there would be a lot less death and crime out on the streets.” Many people would agree with this statement. Other’s would argue with it because they believe marijuana use would go down. Some think that if marijuana was legal less people would use it. A lot of youth wouldn’t think it was cool because it wasn’t illegal and there for adolescents marijuana use would decrease. This question is the basis of the paper, should medical marijuana be available? This paper will show you the positives and negatives of medical marijuana.
In a recent article by Okie (2005), some doctors prescribe medical marijuana to deal with chronic or neuropathic pain. Okie provides information about one patient, Angel McCleary Riach who is dependent on the drug marijuana because she found that it helped her control her pain and increase her appetite. The patient and her doctor Ludico, believed that Riach’s health will fail extremely if she is denied the use of medical marijuana, because she will not be able to bear the pain. Although the doctors in the article prescribe marijuana primarily to control pain, some have found it affective for treating muscle spasms, mood disorders, AIDS, migraines, and to increase appetite in cancer patients(Okie,2005) One doctor stated that many of their patients that are using the drug marijuana, but buying it illegally, but for the patients with a family that is too much of a risk. This is a continuous struggle in their everyday life, and without the legalization of medical marijuana these patients will continue...
Marijuana is a shredded mix of dry flowers, stems and the seeds of a plant called cannabis and people usually smoke it in the form of cigarettes for relaxation. Ever since marijuana hit mainstream America over 30 years ago, government prohibition of it has been the subject of an ongoing debate. Should marijuana be legalized? Proponents of marijuana argue that there are numerous medical benefits and that the drug is not more harmful than tobacco or alcohol. Therefore, prohibiting it intrudes on personal freedom. On the other hand, opponents argue that marijuana is too dangerous; its legalization would increase the chances of the drug falling into the hands of kids and that marijuana use often progresses to the use of more dangerous drugs like heroin and cocaine. In the past decade, a number of movements to legalize the use of marijuana has been gaining momentum. According to the 2011 Gallup survey, a record high 50% of Americans say that marijuana should be legalized and this figure marks a 4% increase compared to the previous year. Support for legalizing marijuana was 30% in 2000, 40% in 2009 before reaching 50% last year. This shows that despite government efforts to eliminate its use, marijuana is becoming more popular. More and more people realize that legalizing marijuana brings a host of benefits. It not only offers medical benefits to the terminally ill but it could also be a source of tax revenues and could save the tax payers billions of dollars that is spent on enforcement costs.
The effect of Marijuana on American Society has been a highly popularized point of concern and discussion for many years. This topic has become more frequent in the past months as two states voters have allowed its widespread recreational and medicinal use. This research paper will focus on some of the history of marijuana, details of this drug, and conclude with my findings of why this drug has become increasingly popular which may surprise the reader.
Marijuana is a relatively harmless drug that governments around the world have made illegal. If legalized, marijuana can be beneficial to society in a number of ways: whether it be for medical, economic, or public safety reasons. Marijuana has been proven to treat several life debilitating, and even life threatening diseases. Although it is not a cure, marijuana can ease the pain and suffering of a dying person. Another benefit of legalization is the financial gains that governments will accomplish through the taxation of marijuana. This is a realistic claim if marijuana sales are compared to that of cigarettes; governments make billions each year from cigarette taxes (Caputo and Ostrom 484). Every year law enforcement spends countless man-hours trying to apprehend marijuana dealers and growers. This time would be better utilized in dealing with more serious crimes. This essay will display some main reasons why marijuana is a substance with beneficial uses and applications. First, marijuana can be used as a treatment for the effects of diseases such as AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, and other terminal diseases. A study carried out in California clearly demonstrates the effectiveness of marijuana as a treatment for cancer: “Over 74 percent of the cancer patients treated in the program have reported that marijuana is more effective in relieving their nausea and vomiting than any other drug they have tried.”(Zeese 1990). Chemotherapy for cancer patients often produces nausea and vomiting. Marijuana has been proven to relieve these symptoms and there have been no known side effects recorded (Ad Hoc Group of Experts part 4).
Although there are numerous deaths, at least 100,000, from prescription drugs each year, there has never been a death attributed to marijuana. The late Dr. Tod Mikuriya, a former administrator of the US government’s marijuana research programs, stated that after he had treated about 10,000 patients in 15 years, he felt that there are about 200 different medical conditions that respond favorably to medical marijuana.
In an the article titled medical use of marijuana the topic is that of people who uses marijuana for medical reasons verses those who uses it just because. There are indications that marijuana is sometimes used to alleviate pain from cancer, to reduce nausea from chemotherapy, and to mitigate the wasting syndrome of AIDS. Studies have suggested that the medical use of marijuana is common among people with HIV/AIDS (CAMJ). There was a survey that involved telephone interviews with Ontario male adults eighteen years and older and completed with 2508 people. In the weighted sample 49 respondents reported using marijuana for a medical reason in the year preceding the survey, a total of 173 respondents reported using marijuana, but not for medical reasons. The remaining 2305 respondents in the weighted sample reported no use of marijuana in the preceding year (CAMJ). In this article it was also stated that compared with nonusers, those who use marijuana for any reason tend to be younger, more likely to have alcohol problems and more likely to have used cocaine in their lifetime. Those who use marijuana for medical reasons were similar to other users but more likely to use cocaine. About 2 percent of the population can claim the right to use marijuana for medical reasons, considering their needs, confronts the growth of a system to make sure they have entry to quality-controlled marijuana for medical use and could increase arguments for decriminalization of marijuana for personal use. The use of marijuana for any reason was linked with a male, comparative youth, smoking cigarettes, a lot of drinking, and the use of cocaine (CAMJ). Additional research has to be performed to decide whether uses with alcohol, drugs and other lifestyle choices influence the want for marijuana use and viewpoint in its medical benefits.
Legalization of Marijuana has quickly become a controversial issue in America. In the United States, legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes is spreading to the state level. For example, in November 1996, the people of California and Arizona voted to legalize marijuana for medicinal reasons. As a result of Proposition 215 in California, patients now smoke marijuana provided their physician recommends its usage. A prescription is not required, and marijuana continues to be illegal to prescribe. The Clinton administration responded that it “would not recognize these decisions, and would prosecute physicians who recommend or provide marijuana to their patients.” Although California and Arizona are the only two states to have already passed laws regulating marijuana usage, twenty-six states and the District of Columbia have laws and resolutions regarding marijuana usage. These laws and resolutions range from establishing therapeutic research programs, to allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana, to asking the federal government to lift the ban. Despite the states’ desires to have marijuana legalized for medicinal purposes, the US National Institutes of Health examined all existing clinical evidence about smoked marijuana and concluded that, “There is no scientifically sound evidence that smoked marijuana is medically superior to currently available therapies.”
In 1996 ,the state of California passed a ballot that allowed doctors to use medical marijuana for different health cases and not get penalized for doing so. Other states such as Arizona, Oregon, Nevada, and Washington also allowed the use marijuana. Several medical organizations support the use of medical marijuana and even endorse it, but Congress has passed “a resolution condemning the medical use of marijuana and because federal law still outlaws marijuana use,” ( McFarling p.2). As a result of Congress’s actions , the few physicians that are allowed to use medical marijuana are very hesitant to prescribe marijuana to their patients. The physicians who are hesitant are afraid of losing their career but those doctors who really care about the patient’s health will do their best to find the right medication.